Utsukushi Burukkurin
by DoctorGarcia
Summary: The writing was on the wall, and she knew it. One year after the failed wedding, Ukyo has come to terms with the simple fact that you can't fight fate. It was time to make amends and move on... [Chapter 1 - Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt] Please Read & REVIEW! Thanks!
1. Prologue - No One's Gonna Love You

**Disclaimer: Ranma and friends belong to Takahashi and Viz. Not mine. No can haz. **

**Prologue**

Fittingly enough, it was raining.

It was only natural, and honestly, it matched her mood. After all, she was about to give up on something that had consumed her life since, well, since she could remember.

A year previous, there had been a wedding. Well, an attempt at one, anyway. There had been complications, and she herself had played no small part in that. The more she thought about it now, the more ashamed she felt about her actions. They were born of love, sure, but also of pettiness and jealousy and all the ugly baggage that comes along with unrequited love.

She twisted the handle of her umbrella between her fingers as she made her way along the streets. So much had happened since then, and a lot of it pointed to one simple fact: Ranma and Akane were destined for each other. It had been written long ago, long before she'd arrived in Nerima, long before Ranma's father had cheated her own out of his livelihood. You can't fight fate, no matter how hard you tried. It seemed the more she and the other girls had tried to drive Akane and Ranma apart, the closer they brought them together.

And now, it was time to let go.

The Tendo home was unusually quiet today, and it led Ukyo to wonder if anyone was at home. She really hated to think that she'd made her way all the way here in the rain only to find that she'd wasted the trip. She also feared that another day to think about it would cause her to have second thoughts. That it would break her resolve. In all her years of training, after renouncing her womanhood and devoting her life to revenge, she had strengthened her determination most of all. That was what made her so insistent on winning Ranma, and that was what she needed now more than anything. Now that she'd decided to concede defeat.

There was a grace to it, if she did say so herself.

She rang the doorbell, and still heard nothing from inside. Fidgeting, she looked up and down the empty street. Alone. She knew it didn't mean anything, but to her it felt like everything. All alone.

The door creaked slightly as it opened, causing Ukyo to turn her attention toward it. The smiling face of Kasumi Tendo was on the other side, shining like the sun in a storm. The older girl looked surprised to see her.

"Ukyo, hello! Are you here to see Ranma? Why don't you come in out of the rain?"

The okonomiyaki chef smiled. Kasumi had that effect on everyone. The Tendo daughter stepped aside, opening the door to let her in. Ukyo walked in and lowered the umbrella, shaking it off out the door as best she could.

"Thank you, Kasumi. And no, I'm actually here to see... Akane."

This caused the hostess to frown. "Oh my. I hope you aren't here to fight again. Though, you don't usually use the door in that case. Anyway, wait here, I'll go and get her for you." Kasumi's frown shifted into a polite smile before she headed back into the house, leaving Ukyo alone to her thoughts once again.

How do you do it? How do you face the woman you've physically attacked on numerous occasions? How do you atone for all of your schemes and tricks? Love was no excuse, "right" was a flimsy scaffolding in the face of dishonor. Ukyo rubbed her face with her fingertips, trying to steel herself. The one thing she knew she couldn't do was cry. She wouldn't give the universe the satisfaction of her tears. She didn't want pity, or sympathy. She just wanted things to be better.

Akane came around the corner, looking skeptical as usual. At least she didn't look hostile. Kasumi was a kind person, and tended to be pretty on the ball despite her airy nature. Maybe the oldest Tendo daughter detected her distress after all. Maybe she prefaced Ukyo's arrival with a disclaimer. Either way, it was good to see Akane wasn't completely on the defensive.

It was easier to do things you didn't want to when the other person wasn't automatically yelling at you.

"What are you doing here, Ukyo?" The voice was suspicious, and that was fair. Sure, she and Akane fluctuated between being okay friends and total rivals, but the crash of the wedding definitely caused a general downturn. Akane acted like she didn't want the wedding, at least not all the way. But there was something in her eyes that day that said differently. She loved Ranma, no matter how much she tried to play it off, and he loved her back just as much. It was a realization that she'd spent the better part of the past few months mulling over, sometimes to the detriment of her work. It was a realization that led her to this very moment.

And there was no turning back now.

"Akane, I..." She started, her voice catching in her throat as expected. She took a deep breath and started again. "I, umm, I just wanted you to know that you – that I, well... I'm giving up. On Ranma, I mean." Ukyo peeled her eyes from the floor just long enough to see the other girl crossing her arms. "This isn't a, um, trick or anything. I feel..." She laughed nervously, though it was really half a sob and she had to laugh to beat it down, "I feel like a real idiot, Akane. The way I've acted, the things I've done. I don't think you'll ever forgive me and, hell, I probably don't deserve forgiveness. But I just wanted you to know that I support you guys , whatever you decide to do."

The other girl considered her, for a moment. Ukyo watched Akane's eyes as the moved between various levels of confusion, fury and.. well, a lot of things, honestly. It felt like forever, and Ukyo just wished anything would happen to break the silence. Even if Akane decided to shout her back out onto the streets, into the rain, at least it would have been something.

"Ukyo, I mean... you can't really blame me if I find this hard to believe, can you?"

It was the natural question, and it was delivered with a level of calm that Ukyo wasn't accustomed to from Akane Tendo. She took it as a decent sign, if not a relief. Ukyo exhaled and decided to press on.

"No, I know, of course not. I've done a lot of stupid things, unfair things. To you and, honestly, to Ran-chan – uh, Ranma." She cursed herself for slipping into the habit of calling him by her pet name for him. She hoped that Akane would take it for the mistake it was and not some underlying sign that she wasn't being honest. Apart from a barely perceptible twitch of the eyebrow, Akane gave no indication one way or another. "But I'm serious. Anything I can do to prove it, I'm willing to do it. Even if I've got to leave town... I'll close up the restaurant and move on. I uprooted myself once, I can... I can do it again." She chewed her lip lightly. The prospect of leaving Nerima altogether wasn't an attractive one, but if honor demanded it, then she would swallow her pride and find a new place to go. It wasn't as if she was worried she wouldn't be successful elsewhere, it was just that she had come to think of this place as her home. Not that she expected Akane would ever ask that of her, but the possibility was there now. There was no taking it back.

Akane looked off to the side, as if she was considering all the options that were laid before her. She was starting to think that the other girl really believed her, and she was glad for it. It beat the alternative, and hurting Akane would only serve to further alienate herself from Ranma. She saw that now, more clearly than she ever had.

"Let me think about it." Akane's reply came, and it was about as good as Ukyo could have hoped for. Outright forgiveness wasn't really anything she'd expected any more than total banishment was. Ukyo figured she would just lay low until she got the reply. No sense in seeming desperate, no matter how desperate she was. "Let me think about it, and I'll let you know what I think we should do."

Ukyo smiled sadly and nodded. "Of course. You know where to find me. Just, don't tell Ranma about this, okay? He's such a dope, he might accidentally try to defend me and I don't want him giving you the wrong idea. He's crazy about you, Akane, you have to know that."

Akane chewed her own bottom lip now, and gave the slightest nod. "I do."

And that was that. Ukyo picked her umbrella back up and opened the door to face the downpour. She began to take a step out, but Akane's voice stopped her.

"Ukyo."

The chef looked over at Akane curiously. The girl's guard had completely dropped now, and there was a slight touch of sympathy to her voice. "If you really do mean this... thank you."

Ukyo opened the umbrella outside the door. "I do."

She cried all the way back to Ucchan's.

It was going to be a long night.


	2. 1 - Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt

_Eight Months Later..._

She nervously checked the note yet again, making sure that she had the right place. It wouldn't do to be late, and it wouldn't do to not show up where she was expected. After all, the whole plan hinged on her. As much as she appreciated the opportunity, she wasn't a huge fan of the pressure.

She did have the right place, however, and she pocketed the note. It was nearly the time indicated, and as she approached the alley in question, she took an anxious look around at her surroundings. There were lots of little nooks and crannies, and plenty of obstructions in the form of dumpsters and other structures that blocked line of sight.

In other words, it was the perfect place for an ambush.

Ukyo gripped her spatula with both hands, the weight of it giving her some comfort. She was here to meet the girls who were normally her rivals, and any meeting that involved Kodachi Kuno and Shampoo was bound to involve some kind of trickery or deception. She had to be ready for anything.

"Shampoo? Kodachi? It's me, Ukyo." She called out to the alley, not seeing either of the other girls. She had half a mind to check the note again, but quickly shook off the urge. She was in the right place, and at the right time. She could only hope that they hadn't just decided to get her out of the picture.

"Spatula Girl!" The high, lilting voice of Shampoo came from behind her, and Ukyo cursed herself for letting the Amazon get the drop on her. She turned on heel to see the blue haired Chinese girl standing with weapons in hand, her twin chui giving the girl little trouble in the weight department. Shampoo was easily the strongest of Ranma's myriad fiancees, and Ukyo never seemed to get away from a fight with the girl without her share of bruises. The Amazon gazed coldly across the alley at Ukyo, which only caused her to hold her spatula even more tightly. Her rival continued, "You ready to do what need to be done?"

Ukyo nodded. "Of course. I've been ready for a long time." This was the truth, and Shampoo had no idea how much effort she had put into this day. _She'll find out soon enough, though._ Ukyo pushed the thought back for now. There was no room for distractions. "Where's that crazy Kuno girl?"

"How dare you refer to me in such a way?" The voice of Kodachi rang out from Ukyo's right, and the gymnast took her place beside the Amazon with so much grace. If Shampoo's gaze was cold, Kodachi's was frigid, the sort of look that came when arrogance and insanity met. "Why, if today weren't what it is, I would put you down right here and now, Kuonji."

_As if you could._ Ukyo smirked. She wanted so badly to tell the girl off, but it wasn't the time yet. She had to be sure everything went off as planned. "Too bad your grandmother had to go back to China, Shampoo, we could really use her firepower." She glanced expectantly at Shampoo, who nodded grimly.

"Aiya, Shampoo agree. Jusenkyo guide say he need great-grandmother help. No say why, though..." Shampoo's expression turned to one of puzzlement, as if she were trying to suss the problem out, but Ukyo dismissed her concern and glanced at Kodachi next.

"And your brother, Kodachi? I imagine _he'll _be coming along, at least."

Kodachi's expression turned to one of annoyance. "Actually, my idiot brother has left Japan. He received a letter from that pigtailed hussy of his saying she was stranded on a deserted island and needed his help." The Kuno girl's teeth ground together, just a touch. "She also requested that he bring suntan lotion, the shameless tramp."

Ukyo's expression turned to one of distress now. "What a drag. So, it's just us three, then?" The other two girls nodded, and Ukyo put her fingers to her chin. "I see. That's going to make stopping this wedding a lot more difficult, then."

"Spatula Girl can say that again."

Ukyo closed her eyes, deep in thought. Very shortly, the second attempt at marriage for Ranma and Akane would be starting. As with the first time, Ukyo had agreed to help Shampoo and Kodachi stop the wedding so that Ranma would be free to date whichever one of them he chose. It was a simple plan, and it didn't take much of a disruption on their part to bring it to a grinding halt the last time. Of course, there had been a few other players involved. But with Kuno and Cologne mysteriously called away, and Ryoga intentionally led astray. "Yep, things are going to be a _lot_ more difficult this time around." She opened her eyes and grinned at the other two girls, who were suddenly taken aback. "Luckily for me, I brought backup!"

She turned her head toward the rooftops and waved. The other two girls followed her gaze just in time to see Konatsu, the world's first male kunoichi, push down a lever to topple over the edge of the roof a large stack of garbage and large debris they had gathered. The junk tumbled into the alley, forming a wall that effectively blocked access in one direction, leaving the other two girls between Ukyo and the wall.

"What is this?!"

"Spatula Girl, what you do?!"

Konatsu leaped from the rooftop, landing gracefully next to his employer. Ukyo raised her spatula into combat position. "Sorry, ladies, but I'm afraid this wedding is going through as planned this time."

"Treachery!" Came the cry from Kodachi, her gaze steely upon the two dissenters in front of her. "I never imagined you would turn your back on this arrangement, Kuonji. I would be impressed, if I weren't so angry." Her fingers shifted toward a club strapped behind her back, and Konatsu interposed himself between her and Ukyo.

"Do not make another move, Miss Kuno," he commanded, looking determined to carry out the wishes of his employer and friend, "Or I shall be forced to put you down!"

"That's right. Everyone just play nice." Ukyo stepped up next to the kunoichi boy again, her gaze shifting between her two former allies. "As long as we just stay here peacefully, no one has to get hurt. But if you insist on trying to stop the wedding, you're going to have to go through us. So why don't we all relax and just let destiny take its course?"

Kodachi and Shampoo traded looks now, an unspoken conversation between the two of them seeming to weigh the options. Ukyo watched, a bundle of nervous energy, wondering if there was going to be a fight, or if she'd have to find another outlet for her adrenaline. The electricity hung in the air of the alleyway for what felt like hours, and then Shampoo turned and looked at the chef once again.

"We say no deal!"

Ukyo's lips twisted into a grin. As much as she hated to be cliché, she was kind of hoping they would decide to fight. Eight months worth of second guessing and resigning herself to losing the man she had convinced herself she loved built up all sorts of steam just waiting to be let off. Shampoo started toward her, with Kodachi close behind. With one more glance to Konatsu, Ukyo readied herself for the charge.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

_Eight Months Ago..._

Three days she'd been waiting. Three anxious days, days of worry and wonder and regret and anger. She'd almost gone back to the Tendo home multiple times, almost gone and told Akane that the deal was off and that she still wanted to be with Ranma. She managed to stop herself every time, throwing herself into the work that needed done around Ucchan's. Distracting herself with her duty the way she had all those years ago when Ranma and his father had first left her behind. There was nothing else but the work. She had to convince herself of that for everyone's sake.

The teppan couldn't be cleaner, the ingredients were all prepared. There were still two hours before the usual lunch rush started, and Ukyo was desperately looking for things to clean or fix or one last vegetable to prep. She was so focused on her own panic that it startled her when the bell over the door rang. She was surprised to see who was entering.

"Nabiki? You know I'm not open yet, right?"

The middle Tendo daughter gave Ukyo a chilly look, one that she had seen thousands of times before, or so it seemed. It wasn't that Nabiki was heartless, it was just that she was businesslike. It was a quality that Ukyo admired in the girl, being an entrepreneur herself. But this morning, considering the circumstances, it was damn near unsettling.

"I think you know I'm not here for lunch, Ukyo." The willowy young woman made her way across the little cafe, sliding onto a stool across the counter from Ukyo with practiced grace. She knitted her fingers together and stared with steely eyes at the chef, throwing Ukyo's heart into a panic. Why would Akane send her sister, unless there was a matter of a debt to be settled? Of course, it made sense. After all, Ukyo did owe Akane and Ranma both for the disruption of the wedding. By extension, didn't she also owe the Tendo family as a whole?

She tried to play cool, but her voice was shaking. "Akane told you what I said, didn't she?"

A wry smile crossed Nabiki's lips. "Of course she did. Didn't take much to get it out of her, in all honesty. I knew something was up when I didn't hear any yelling, and you didn't bring any food. I told her that she'd need a negotiator if she was going to make any deals with you, considering you're such a discerning businesswoman and all. Figured it may as well be me, so here I am."

Ukyo crossed her arms and frowned at Nabiki. "Flattery? That's not your style." It was true, Nabiki almost always worked from a position of power, even when she didn't have the upper hand. The blatant appeal to Ukyo's sense of pride in her work seemed off. "Whatever it is you want, you clearly _really_ want it."

It was Nabiki's turn to frown now, and Ukyo was almost proud to wipe the smirk off the girl's face. Not because she disliked the girl, of course, more that it was a bit of an accomplishment. Nabiki planted her palms on the counter and pushed herself up into a straight and commanding looking posture.

"Okay, Kuonji, if you want to skip the formalities, here's how it is." Nabiki's voice was steady as she launched into her pitch, trying to take the lead back from her quarry. "If you really meant what you told Akane, then we're willing to accept it. But, we're going to need your help if everything is going to go smoothly."

Ukyo rested her chin on her hand, and her elbow on the counter. "Go on..."

"Well," Nabiki glanced with irritation at the wall to her left, "As you well know, the first attempt at a marriage didn't go over so well. I accept partial responsibility for this, as I was the one who sent out the invitations. It wasn't that I didn't want the wedding to happen, far from it in fact. Whatever stops my father moping around all day is a worthwhile investment. No, my plan was to invite everyone Ranma and Akane know to rake in the presents. I didn't count on the amount of damage that you all would cause. It completely offset the value of wedding gifts." Her gaze returned to the bemused looking Ukyo, "I won't be making that mistake again. This time, it's going to be a small affair. Family only, to be exact."

The chef gave a nod. "And how do you plan on making that happen, exactly?"

Nabiki grinned. "Well, the main concern is to keep anyone who would try to stop the wedding away at all costs. You know, the usual crew. Kuno I can handle, and I might be able to leverage a favor from China to get Shampoo's grandma out of the picture. Hibiki hasn't really been after Akane as much since he met that Unryu girl, but I might just get him lost on principle."

Ukyo chuckled a bit at that. After all these years, Ryoga's sense of direction had never gotten better. She honestly couldn't believe it, but then again, it seemed like all of Nerima's various crazy characters had stagnated in their particular grooves. Nothing had really changed; everyone was still after Ranma or Akane or their associated peripherals. That was, until Ukyo had decided to throw in the towel. "So that leaves Shampoo and Kodachi." She noted, holding up two fingers.

Nabiki nodded. "That it does. And that's where you come in."

This caught Ukyo off guard. "How so?"

"Last time, the three of you seemed to make a pretty coordinated attack on our home. You must have met ahead of time."

Ukyo nodded. It had been Shampoo's idea, actually. Ukyo had received a letter from the girl imploring her to set aside their differences for the sake of preventing Ranma from going off the market for good. Even then, Ukyo had considered telling her that it was time to let go, but her heart was still too powerfully drawn to her childhood friend. Not this time.

"Good. So you just have to show up for that meeting again this time. Except this time, you make sure no one makes it out of the meeting until it's too late."

Ukyo laughed. "You mean you want me to stop Shampoo from getting what she wants? Even if it were just her, that'd be a pretty tall order, throw in Kodachi and it's a downright challenge." 

"Think you can't handle it, Kuonji?" Nabiki's voice dared, a tone that irritated the chef to no end. "You have friends, don't you? Nothing says you have to show up all by yourself."

"They'd be suspicious if Konatsu was there with me. They know he has no interest in stopping the wedding." It was true. The last time Konatsu had followed her on her mission, but all along was trying to talk her out of it. He was like her own little Jiminy Cricket, except she was fairly certain that the male kunoichi had a thing for her. One that wasn't reciprocated, unfortunately for him. But still, sitting here now, she sort of wished she had listened to him.

Nabiki stood up. "You want to hold up your promise to Akane? Figure it out. Do whatever it takes to keep those crazy women away from our house. If you can do that, you can consider yourself forgiven. Those are the terms."

Ukyo bit her lip, considering all of this. An enraged Shampoo wasn't something she was too keen on facing anymore, but she had done it before and come out mostly unscathed. What were another few bruises in the name of forgiveness? Even now, a plan was formulating in her mind. She knew what she was going to have to do.

"Okay, Nabiki, it's a deal. If this is what it's going to take to prove myself, then I'll do it. All..." She felt her voice catch again, embarrassingly. "All I want, all I ever wanted, was for Ranma to be happy. I just thought, wrongly, that he'd be happy with... me."

Nabiki eyed her for a moment, judging her silently with that appraising gaze. Ukyo felt pretty exposed under that ocular assault, but she stood firm, her hands only trembling slightly.

"Just do the thing, Kuonji. I know I can count on you."

Nabiki started for the door, and Ukyo sighed heavily. The middle Tendo daughter paused in the doorframe and looked back over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Ukyo?"

Ukyo had picked her spatula back up to check for tears in the reflection. She peeked over the metallic instrument with an eyebrow raised. "Huh?"

"There'll be a party, after. If you pull it off, I think.. I think you should come. Dress nice, okay?"

Ukyo was taken aback by the sentimentality that Nabiki had showed, but before she could make a comment or even confirm, the girl was out the door.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

_Eight Months Later..._

Ukyo ducked as Shampoo took another swing at her head with the heavy chui, the wind whistling above her as the head of the weapon cut a wide swath through the air. Within minutes, the alleyway had shown the signs of battle, as Shampoo's strength had already reduced sections of the walls of the surrounding buildings to rubble. Konatsu was currently dodging a serious of whiplike snaps from Kodachi's ribbon, bouncing around the alley with quickness. Ukyo smirked and took a diagonal swing with her spatula to send Shampoo dodging backward. She was glad with her choice of fighting partners, and especially glad that her weapon's reach far outstripped Shampoo's. What the amazon had in strength didn't matter as much if Ukyo could keep outside of her blast radius.

"Hold still you treacherous transvestite!" This came from Kodachi, the gymnast's psyche starting to crack a little at the frustrating defenses of Konatsu. It would only be a matter of time now before the girl would start to come seriously unhinged. Already the alleyway was littered with the Kuno sister's implements: clubs and balls and batons were strewn about and lodged in surfaces.

She was running out of ammo and, Ukyo could see, running out of gas.

"Miss Ukyo!"

Konatsu's warning caught her attention just in time to see that Shampoo had stepped forward and was taking a mighty overhand swing with both her chui at the same time. Ukyo managed to jump back just in time for the weapons to impact on the pavement, creating a crater of rather impressive size. Ukyo blinked, noting that she would have to give her employee a little bit of a bonus for the save.

The dust began to settle and Ukyo could faintly make out the silhouette of Shampoo, leaping through with a flying kick. Ukyo took a quick step to the side and swung her spatula like a baseball bat, swatting the amazon aside and sending one of the chui flying. The weapon whizzed within inches of Kodachi, the girl's ribbon fluttering after it in its wake. The gymnast was incensed.

"Watch where you're throwing that thing, you brute!"

It was just enough of an opening, and Konatsu took the opportunity. He dashed toward the girl, snatching the end of the ribbon from the air and quickly tying Kodachi Kuno into a neat little package. He lifted her over his shoulder, eliciting a cry of indignation from the girl.

"Miss Ukyo, I shall remove her from the field! The rest is up to you!"

In a puff of smoke, the two were gone. Leaving Ukyo alone with Shampoo.

"No more friend, Spatula Girl! Shampoo defeat you now, then stop wedding by herself!"

Ukyo grinned, and started to wheel to her right, circling around Shampoo. The amazon matched her movements, her remaining chui at the ready. Ukyo's back was to the barricade that Konatsu had made, while Shampoo's back was to her escape route.

"You know, you're right. You probably could stop that wedding by yourself, Shampoo. But you're wrong about one thing."

Shampoo's eyebrow raised in annoyance. "Oh yeah? What that?"

Ukyo glanced over the girl's shoulder. "I still have another friend!"

Shampoo wheeled around to see... nothing but a fire hydrant. "What trick –?"

"NOW!"

Shampoo's head snapped to look back at Ukyo just in time to hear the cry.

"CHAAAAAARGE!"

From the open end of the alley, the fire hydrant was on the move. Except it wasn't a hydrant after all. Tsubasa Kurenai was rushing headlong into the fray. With a fire hose in tow.

Ukyo quickly slashed her spatula down, knocking Shampoo's remaining weapon from her hand just in time for the amazon to catch the full force of the hose's blast in her center mass. Ukyo reacted quickly, catching the soggy cat which emerged from the spray carefully in an empty flour tin, clamping the lid on tightly. From within, she could hear the yowling of the infuriated Shampoo.

"Oh, relax, I poked air holes in it!"

Tsubasa, in full hydrant disguise, shut down the hose and grinned at Ukyo. "Did it work?"

"Like a charm... thank you, Tsubasa. I really appreciate your help."

Ukyo's strange ex-suitor gave her a soft smile. "For you, Ukyo, anything." He took the violently shaking flour tin from her and gave her a one armed hug, the first time Ukyo could ever recall being hugged by a fire plug.

"Now, go get changed, Ukyo.. you have a party to get to."


End file.
